The Built Environments study seeks to identify specific influences of neighborhood design on longitudinal changes in body mass index, physical activity and dietary quality in children.

The study will also examine the effect of individual (i.e. race, gender and socioeconomic status) and contextual (i.e. air pollution) variables on the influence of these obesogenic factors.

This project utilizes data from the 8-year USC Children’s Health Study and is supplemented by an additional cohort followed for 4+ years, integrated with measures of the built environment derived in a Geographic Information System.